Here’s Why The Royals Always Go To Wimbledon

Love Kate Middleton’s always-amazing Wimbledon looks? Wondering when she developed an interest in tennis? Just like white outfits and strawberries and cream, the British royals are intrinsically linked to the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Every year, members of the royal family are invited to the Royal Box, the most exclusive of enclosures, along with a slew of celebs. Numerous royals attend – Kate, of course, is a particularly avid fan, often visiting with Prince William and their children.

But the royals’ connection with Wimbledon dates back many years – here we look at the history.

Getty Images

What Is The British Royal Family’s Connection To Wimbledon?

Henry VIII was the first recorded royal to show an interest in tennis, often playing at Hampton Court. But of course, there was no such thing as Wimbledon in his day.

The first ever Wimbledon Championships took place in 1877, but the first royal visit wasn’t until 1907 when King George V and Queen Mary, then the Prince and Princess of Wales, attended. That same year, the Prince of Wales became the president of the All England Club . Ever since, a member of the royal family has been involved in the Club, either as president or as a patron. The Queen was patron from 1952 until 2016, although she only attended the tournament four times. On her 90th birthday she retired from the role, handing the baton on to Kate.

While many of the royals are big fans of the game, just one has competed in the Championships. In 1926, Queen Elizabeth’s father, King George VI (the then-Duke of York) played in the doubles tournament with his long-time friend Sir Louis Greig. Sadly, they were eliminated in the first round by former champions Herbert Roper Barrett and Arthur Gore.

Peter Menzel, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

What Is The Royal Box?

The Royal Box was opened in 1922, and since then it has been used to host members of the royal family alongside A-listers, heads of government and public figures of note for the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

The Box, which seats up to 74 guests, is situated at the south end of Centre Court (where the tournament’s most high profile matches are played) and demarcated by wooden surroundings and different chairs (dark green Lloyd Loom wicker chairs, to be precise). As well as this prime viewing spot, Royal Box guests are invited to the clubhouse for lunch, tea and drinks at the end of the day.

Everyone inside naturally dons their glad rags – not least because there is a strictly enforced dress code. Guests are asked to dress in smart attire, with men donning suits/jackets with a tie. Ladies are asked not to wear hats so as to avoid obscuring the view for others. When we say strictly enforced, we mean it: F1 driver Lewis Hamilton was famously turned away from the men’s singles final in 2015 for his too-casual attire.

Attendance is by invitation only, and while the Royals may give their name to this prestigious seating zone, they’re not behind the guest list. That duty falls to the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s chair Deborah Jevans, who selects her guests based on traditional themes. Recent examples include a contribution to the global good, which saw Earthshot vice chair David Fein sat with previous prize winner Rita El Zaghloul alongside London Wildlife Trust CEO David Mooney, UK Special Representative for Climate Rachel Kyte, Imperial College London’s Professor of Sustainable Energy Sir James Skea and the UK’s head of Mission for Clean Power Chris Stark.

Day 6 (‘Super Saturday’) usually sees a sporting takeover. In 2025, this included tennis legend Billie Jean King along with former players Andy Roddick and Vijay Amritraj; Olympic sailors Sir Ben Ainslie and Peter Burling; famed rowers Sir Steve Redgrave, Helen Glover, Giedrė Rakauskaitė and Lauren Rowles; rugby players Danny Care, Jason Leonard and Brian O’Driscoll; cycling power couple Sir Jason Kenny and Dame Laura Kenny; and scores more.

So far in 2026, we have seen everyone from David Beckham, Tess Daly, Alexander Armstrong and Katherine Jenkins to Paul Sinton-Hewitt, founder of Parkrun.

It’s also worth noting that being a British royal does not guarantee your spot in the Royal Box: Lord Frederick, Lady Gabriella, Lady Marina and Lady Amelia Windsor all attended Wimbledon in 2025 and did not sit in the Royal Box.

As for us plebians, we just have the ballot to rely on for our tickets (or the expensive hospitality options). If neither work for you, you could brave The Queue – or just watch from one of these wonderful al fresco screens in London.